Men's soccer earns A-10 berth with Charlotte win, Saint Louis 5-0 loss
Chris Smith
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Sports
The overtime-tested squad remained sharp in the first extra frame, playing equal with the 49ers for another 10 minutes.
Warwick was able to turn away shots by James, Matt Weston and Issac Cowles in the period.
The Rams kept their energy up in the second overtime and put the pressure on Charlotte's back line.
That pressure finally paid off as Crosby carried Rhody to victory with a quick shot past Martin at 108:32. Freshman Reece Markman was credited with the assist.
"We put a lot of energy into this game," O'Connor said. "I think this was one of our best total performances of the year."
The Rams attempted to ride their momentum into Sunday but came out on the losing end, falling to Saint Louis, 5-0.
The loss looked to be a huge blow to their tournament chances, as a win over the Billikens would have given them an automatic bid.
The Ram's fate now depended on how the other league games played out.
Fordham University was able to take down Saint Josephs University to give them the fifth seed. That left URI, Charlotte and George Washington University all battling for the sixth and final spot. A Charlotte loss to the University of Massachusetts eliminated of from contention and a George Washington loss to St. Bonaventure created a tie between the Rams and the Colonials. The Rams had tied GW 1-1 on Oct. 24, so the tiebreaker came down to each team's record against conference opponents. Rhody's record stood at (2-1-1) and GW's stood at (2-2-0), thus giving the Rams the edge and the sixth and final spot in the tournament.
"Our games have always been tight," O'Connor said. "I think the fact that we have played in so many overtime games will help us in the tournament."
The Rams faced the University of Dayton last night in Pittsburgh.
O'Connor will look toward all-conference selections Kedan Crosby, Dwayne Williams and Erkko Puranen to lead the way.
Goalkeeper Chris Pennock will be a game time decision but O'Connor said he is also confident in Warwick. Pennock was injured Thursday at practice, but the injury is not serious, O'Connor said.
"Either way I think we're ok as far as goal keeper is concerned," O'Connor said. "This is what Peyton [Warwick] has been training for."
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Warwick was able to turn away shots by James, Matt Weston and Issac Cowles in the period.
The Rams kept their energy up in the second overtime and put the pressure on Charlotte's back line.
That pressure finally paid off as Crosby carried Rhody to victory with a quick shot past Martin at 108:32. Freshman Reece Markman was credited with the assist.
"We put a lot of energy into this game," O'Connor said. "I think this was one of our best total performances of the year."
The Rams attempted to ride their momentum into Sunday but came out on the losing end, falling to Saint Louis, 5-0.
The loss looked to be a huge blow to their tournament chances, as a win over the Billikens would have given them an automatic bid.
The Ram's fate now depended on how the other league games played out.
Fordham University was able to take down Saint Josephs University to give them the fifth seed. That left URI, Charlotte and George Washington University all battling for the sixth and final spot. A Charlotte loss to the University of Massachusetts eliminated of from contention and a George Washington loss to St. Bonaventure created a tie between the Rams and the Colonials. The Rams had tied GW 1-1 on Oct. 24, so the tiebreaker came down to each team's record against conference opponents. Rhody's record stood at (2-1-1) and GW's stood at (2-2-0), thus giving the Rams the edge and the sixth and final spot in the tournament.
"Our games have always been tight," O'Connor said. "I think the fact that we have played in so many overtime games will help us in the tournament."
The Rams faced the University of Dayton last night in Pittsburgh.
O'Connor will look toward all-conference selections Kedan Crosby, Dwayne Williams and Erkko Puranen to lead the way.
Goalkeeper Chris Pennock will be a game time decision but O'Connor said he is also confident in Warwick. Pennock was injured Thursday at practice, but the injury is not serious, O'Connor said.
"Either way I think we're ok as far as goal keeper is concerned," O'Connor said. "This is what Peyton [Warwick] has been training for."
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